Fatal Accidental Falls Kill 7,810 People in 2025
Accidental falls killed 7,810 people in 2025, marking an increase of 480 fatalities compared to the previous year, Gemerts Nieuwsblad reported. According to cause-of-death data released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), accidental falls—defined as slipping, tripping, or stumbling resulting in death within 30 days—represent the leading cause of non-natural mortality.
Fatalities involving transport vehicles, such as bicycles or mobility scooters, are excluded from these figures and classified separately as traffic accidents. The new figures show a pronounced demographic shift, with older women accounting for the vast majority of the mortality increase.
Eighty Percent of Victims Are Aged 80 and Older
Age remains the primary risk factor in fatal accidental falls. Data shows that 79 percent of all individuals who died from a fall in 2025 were aged 80 or older, while just 2 percent of victims were under the age of 60.
The statistical breakdown reveals a distinct gender gap among older age groups. Women accounted for 60 percent of fall fatalities among individuals aged 80 to 90, and 72 percent among those aged 90 and older. In 2025, the average age at the time of a fatal fall was 83 years for men and 87 years for women.
Relative Risk Doubles for Women Over Ninety
While an aging population explains part of the rising death toll, the relative risk for the oldest demographics has also grown significantly over the past decade. Adjusted for population growth and demographic aging, the rate of fatal falls per 100,000 residents has climbed annually for the past 15 years.
Among female residents aged 90 and older, 2.1 percent died from an accidental fall in 2025. That figure stands at double the rate recorded in 2016, when 1.0 percent of women in that age bracket died from a fall. Men in the same advanced age group experienced a similar relative increase.
Winter Months Bring Higher Fatality Rates
Seasonal patterns strongly influence when fatal falls occur, with the highest concentration of deaths happening during the winter months and the lowest in the summer. Over a five-year tracking period, 28.2 percent of fatal falls among men occurred in winter, compared to 22.3 percent in summer.
For women, winter accounted for 27.0 percent of fatal fall incidents, while summer accounted for 23.2 percent. Statistical analysis indicates this seasonal gap is most pronounced among individuals aged 90 and older.
Worth a look